Group 935
by MissSuckerPunch
Summary: Dr. Edward Richtofen continues to have flashbacks while he leads his team on his mission to take control of the Aether and its energies. Unfortunately for him, he has suffered from memory loss as well and cannot comprehend what he needs to gather all the information and intel left behind in the ashes of whats left of Group 935. Luckily, someone comes along the way to help...
1. Chapter 1: Sweet Memories

**935**

**As Edward Richtofen leads his spec. ops team throughout the world, he realizes there is no hope left for humanity. Every last human being has been corrupted and turned into the unnatural living dead. Can there be life once again on earth? Is there a future to return to? Now balancing on the tip of a blade he now knows that they will need a lot more than mere fighting skills to surpass this chaos and survive. But maybe what they all really need… is a bit of luck.**

_**Chapter one: **_**Sweet memories**

_"Test number three iz wizin za test chamber, activate power." The machine rattles and rocks, lights blast from its insides while thousands of volts of electricity surge throughout its machinery. The lights flicker on and off, and Dr. Maxis is oh so impatient to uncover his finest creation yet. It stops, and the doors slide open, revealing the test subject's mangled corpse in a disturbed grotesque appearance, "Oh-oh my god." His assistant, Edward Richtofen, stares at the corpse in shock and awe, his mind couldn't grasp at the pain the poor thing had to suffer before burning and dying. "Get a hold of yourself Edward and clean zis up. Test number three, *sigh*, vas unsucessvul. Subject has been reduced to za same state as furzer test subjects. Clean up ze test chamber and recalibrate za system, let's do it again." "Yes doctor." Richtofen grabbed his clipboard and papers and ran out of the room, preparing to watch another experiment fail, with a smile tucked beneath his lips._

"Richtofen, Richtofen, Richtofen!" Dempsey jabs him in the ribs with his rifle and shouts even louder. "Oy vey, dammit Dempshey' zat hurt!" As he rubbed his side Dempsey tosses him a gun, "Now ain't a good time to dose off into la-la-land Rec-toe-fan. Hahaha hey that rhymed." Richtofen rolled his eyes as he got up, "Are you always entertained by mere poetry American, and for your information I vasn't in, eh… la-la-land, vhatever ze hell zat iz? Und vhy didn't you get me za MP40, you know zats my favorite! " "Sorry doc, couldn't find one." Just then Nikolai came running up the stairs, nearly scaring them both to death, "Jesus Christ Nikolai don't do that, I nearly blew your fucken' head off!" Trying to catch his breath, Nikolai points down the stairs where a faint moan of the undead could be heard, "The… zombies, *gasp*, are getting… closer. I've got… to sit down." "By the sound of that horde of freak bags I'd say none of us got time to sit down." Richtofen began to look around confusingly, "Hey, vhere iz Takeo?" As they started looking around the room, they heard footsteps behind them, and see Takeo approaching carrying four bottles. "I bring sodas to give us strength." He passed them out and was greeted with cheers of joy and satisfaction. "Hey thanks for the Jug' Tak'! I was starting to get a little parched." "Oh yes zank you Takeo, my mouth vas getting a bit dry. And you got me my favorite, Double Tap vroot beer!" Nikolai made a face and tried his best to be his version of "nice" to his not so close friend Takeo, "Ah yes, thanks for bringing Nikolai Speed Cola. It has vodka in it no? Yes, I like the vodka, hehehe."

After drinking their fill and reloading their weapons, the group prepared themselves for another assault. They just kept coming and coming, and they all knew that if they were going to get what they came for and leave, they were going to have to do it fast. "Nikolai I need a mag!" Nikolai tosses Dempsey a mag and quickly reloads his weapon, "Richtofen cover me!" Giving assistance he ran in front of him while his weapon was reloading, "Takeo cover me, I'm reloading!" Richtofen backed up while Takeo took his place, "Dempsey, covering fire!" Takeo backed up and Dempsey took his place. As they tore the zombies down and quickly moved forward, they opened the gate that led to the Doctor's Quarters and sloshed through the swamps as quickly as they could, "Ugh I can barely move in this shit." Dempsey slowly stuck his right foot out and stepped into a deep hole covered by the green water, "Ah son of a bitch!" Everyone laughed while Nikolai helped him up, "Yea, yea, yea, it was hilarious can we go now?"

As they headed inside the hut, the door was closed and secured and the area around. With all areas secure they had a chance to relax and check their weapons for ammo, keeping their guard at ready just in case. "Ammo check; who needs ammo und who his full?" "My weapon is bone dry, doc'. What about you Tak'?" "My reapon' is empty of burrets'." "Yes and Nikolai is out of ammo, but not vodka, so I'm good." Richtofen sighed, "My weapon is almost out as vell. Ve need to find vhat ve came here for quickly… these boards von't hold forever." Richtofen roamed around the hut, examining all his surroundings confusingly, "Uh doc', what uh, exactly are we lookin' for?" Dempsey sounded nervous, which was surprising in most cases, "I'm looking for documents left behind years ago that vere about za experiments wiz 115 at za 935 testing facilities. Vhy do you vant to leave so badly American? I zought you liked getting into danger?" Dempsey hesitated, "I dunno' doc', somethin' about this place ain't right. I feel like I've been here before but can't remember why. I don't like the feeling, and I think the sooner we get outta' here the better." Richtofen felt a knot ball up within his stomach; Dempsey was starting to get his memory back. He needed to drink more Juggernog, or he was going to get complete memory of everything that happened to him before Shi No Numa. "Eh, vhy don't you just drink ze rest of your Juggernog and maybe you'll feel better ya?" Dempsey grabbed his bottle and started chugging down while Richtofen examined the papers on his desk. The maps of the Japanese swamp they were in, and a map of the Tunguska event was lying close to it. _**Hmm, zat iz strange, I zought ze Tunguska event happened furzer in time. Und vhy would zis be on my desk if I never put it zere? **_"Uh doc', you may wanna' see this." Dempsey led him into another room in the hut and pointed to an old radio, "Vhat about it, it's just za radio ve used to communicate wiz ozer Group 935 stations? And look, it's not even plugged in and its buttons are burnt out, vhat exactly iz so interesting about a broken radio?" Dempsey turned one of the knobs to change the station, "A broken radio is what we thought it was too." All of a sudden static rose into the speakers, "Listen carefully…" Richtofen leaned in with the rest of the group and listened:

**"**_**Find doctor Richtofen and doctor Maxis…"**_

_** "115…"**_

_** "Find doctor Richtofen and doctor Maxis…"**_

All eyes were on Richtofen. As he nervously turned the radio off he sat down on a nearby chair and went through the files he had found, Dempsey pointed his gun at him, "What the hell was that all about? Why were you in this fucked up radio, huh?" "Calm down American, it's not surprising that I vould hear my name in zis area. Zis iz one of ze stations I vorked at." Dempsey slowly lowered his weapon, "And what exactly did you do here?"

_Richtofen sat quietly at his desk, organizing papers, creating files, basically recreating 'the office' in a bug invested swamp. He heard a knock, "Dr. Richtofen, ze 935 OSS, he iz here for you." "Ah yes very good, valk me down vill you?" He nodded and escorted him down stairs towards the large hut in the middle of the camp. As they entered the hut, Richtofen observed a man with a suit and sunglasses on sitting across from the exact spot he was supposedly supposed to sit. He suspected this was the man he was meant to meet, so he approached the table without hesitation. As he sat down, the man wasted no time to begin, "Good evening Doctor, I understand you are here to discuss certain 'business' applications with me." "Indeed, Group 935 is very anxious for better funding so ve may continue our important research. I assure you my plan is practically flawless." The mysterious man raised an eyebrow, "I'm listening…" Richtofen continued, "I have already perfected ze blueprints for my MDT unit und have already drawn out the prints for my vunder veapon, all I need iz your money to make it happen. If you fund my research, I assure you, you vill be rewarded greatly." The man scratched at his chin, "And what rewards exactly are you planning on returning to us for our money?" Richtofen leaned closer, "You have a military recon team from Russia that belongs to you correct? How vould you like to have your own army of self-sustaining super soldiers?"_

"Uh hello, Richtofen you awake?" Dempsey poked him numerous times until he finally shivered from goose bumps as a cold chill went down his spine, "Ah yes, I'm fine… just a bit dizzy." Dempsey made a face, "You've been acting stranger and stranger as we've advanced throughout this fucken' swamp. And you never answered my question doc… what the hell did you and you're so called "science group" do here?" He shook his head slowly, "Ve… vorked on numerous files collecting data from ze Tunguska event zat occurred in Siberia, Russia. Our scanners picked up large vavelengths all ze way over here in Japan, zat is how large it vas. Unfortunately, ve didn't have exact coordinates of ze disaster und ve needed more data, so ve set up anozer science lab in ze area in Siberia. But zis area vas mostly for supplying ze Imperial Armies of Japan, numerous amounts came through here to resupply und leave. I vorked here in ze Doctor's Quarters vhile ze Comm Room vas used to send messages to ozer Group 935 stations on our progress. A few days after I left, things began to go… horribly wrong." A grim look molded onto Dempsey's face, "What kind of horrible things started happening?"

_The quietness was almost too much for him to bear. He had gotten so used to the hum of cicadas and unbearable humidity that his original desk didn't seem the same anymore. Though his plan was slowly continuing to succeed, a knot was forming in his stomach. His best friend had now become his boss and professor. Though it bugged him a little that he was put under the command of his friend, it hurt him even more knowing he was becoming quite a jerk lately. All he was focused on was his stupid daughter Samantha… and Richtofen knew who she was. Yes, he knew who she was deep down below that little girls costume there was a horrible demonic being, just waiting to be released. He knew it would take time, but eventually, even Maxis' eyes would be opened with a little push._

_His deep thoughts were interrupted by a slight knock on his door, "Excuse me, Doctor?" "Mmhm, Yes vhat is it?" The assistant hesitated, "Zere is someone on ze line for you from our station in Japan, and he says it is urgent." Richtofen nodded and lifted his phone from its holder, carefully dialing the number needed to reach the other open line. "Herro, herro, am I speaking to the doctor?" "This is Doctor Edward Richtofen of ze 935 protocol at ze main facility in Berlin, Germany; vhat is zis 'important call' about?" "We have good and bad news, both of the same provocative. A meteor has randed' outside the base with extreme revels' of element 115, we need you to come back as quickry' as you can doctor." Richtofen scratched at his chin in frustration, **How come every time I leave that wretched place they call me back in? **He sighed, rubbed the area between his eyes and tried his best not to growl at the terrified imperial on the phone, "I vill see vhat I can do." "Thank you doctor, I fear that this isn't the end of our misfortune, prease' hurry!" After they hung up, Richtofen finished his paperwork and began packing for his return to the Japanese swamps… he knew not what he would find._

He stared at Dempsey for a moment before he could answer, "Vhy don't I just show you vhat happened?" Though they were all confused they none-the-less followed him out of the Doctor's Quarters and crossed the main building in the Storage Hut. He stopped them just outside the fence and there, laying and emitting large amounts of 115, lay the cause to the deaths of thousands of Imperial Army in a hundred mile radius. Nikolai blinked, "A… meteor, that's what brought those hell pigs?" Richtofen nodded, "Indeed, these meteors are carriers of ze element 115. After it landed, ze men here began to get sick. Zhen, slowly but painfully one by one, zhey turned and attacked everyone who vas still alive. Luckily, I had barely made it out alive to inform the rest of Group 935 and its leaders."

Richtofen tucked the files he had found in his old office into his jacket pocket and began trudging through the thick swamp towards the main building, before he could even reach the door, Dempsey stops him, "Ok, I understand what you had to do with this place, but why, everywhere we go, the zombies follow us… specifically us?" Richtofen could feel that anxiety start to form a knot in his throat; he couldn't allow his plans to be compromised to his comrades. If they found out, they certainly would stop him to drastic degrees, and he could not allow that. He opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted but the screams and moans of the undead now surrounding their area and moving quickly. "Quickly, everyone get inside ze storage hut!" They banded together and ran inside, securing the door with barb wire and wood planks and boarding up the windows. "Zis von't hold for long and ve're out of ammo, ve need to find anozour vay out or ve get to be tasty zombie snacks." They quickly scrambled to separate corners of the small hut and searched for an alternate route while the zombies began to double in quantity and their force gradually getting stronger. Soon they will break in… and Richtofen knew this all too well. **_Come on Edward think! Vhere vas zat secret entrance Chan told me about? Please tell me it vasn't in a different hut!? It has to be here, I know it is! _**He frantically dove from corner to corner searching for the entrance when he tripped among the carpet which attached itself to his boot lace like Velcro. As Dempsey and Nikolai laughed their asses off, Takeo and Richtofen noticed a line creating a large rectangular shape just beneath them, "Quickly Takeo, help me break ze boards!" They yanked the carpet up and began stomping atop the floor, with every bang and clash of their foot, Richtofen could feel the boards crack. Dempsey and Nikolai ran over to help, "Vait stop, it von't be able to-" Before he could finish, the weight of all of them was too much to bear and the entire floor beneath them gave way with a loud CRACK. "Aua, mein Kopf… is everyone shtill alive? I von't carry dead veight." He was greeted with grunts and moans of pain and the sound of joints cracking and knuckles popping. They all got up and dusted themselves of the dirt and grim that freely flew from the floor. As they observed their surroundings, they noticed that this secret floor board covered a rather large entry way, with a tunnel that was wide and clotted with clay to help support wood beams to keep the tunnel from clasping. Richtofen leaned towards an unlit torch that had been lying near its holder and lit it, "Vell, ve do not know how far zis stretches onvard. I suggest ve hurry, if it's longer zhan ve think zhan zhese tunnels vill soon be filled vith ze undead." He led them ahead until the zombies could no longer be heard… until the darkness swallowed them within.

**Hey guys i know I've been kind of slow but I promise I haven't forgotten about you! I post chapters as often as I can so they usually aren't done until I've posted the beginning part of the next chapter. **


	2. Chapter 2: Someone's Been Knocking

_**Chapter Two: Someone's been Knocking**_

I dug through the drawers of a rather dusty file cabinet with little to no success. If I was going to find out what happened to the rest of Group 935, I was going to need more information than just what I had uncovered in the Swamp of Death. I grabbed my gun and headed to the animal testing facility, hoping that I'd find some sort of file that had the Intel numbers and codes for their data banks or maybe some sort of radio with the film or tape still untouched within it. Whatever the case, if nothing here, at least I got some papers on their work with the Rising Sun Facility in the Imperial Army; I can divide the information thoroughly enough to get something out it.

As I entered the lab, the smell of dead animals stretched around me, and as foul as it was, I had no choice but to proceed. Rats and mice lye cold atop the counters and tables, broken cages, appearing to have contained a much larger animal, scattered into one corner with blood and rotted flesh clinging to it, and large jars holding human spinal cords and brains within an unknown gooey green liquid. I cringed at the awful sight as I headed over towards the first table I found, files and papers spread out all around it and a cork board with pictures and maps pinned to it. Adjacently diagonal from it sat two large chalkboards with blueprints taped to it and equations written across. I began to hear static coming from above me, and there resting gently on top of the doorway railing sat a tiny one-way radio. I used my gun to poke it down and pressed my ear against it. Static buzzed in and out when I turned the knobs, the wires were cross and the batteries seemed shallow, almost dead. Finally getting it to the right setting I turned the volume up and listened:

"_**Now, you must be very diligent vith her Samantha, owning a dog is a great responsibility." "Yes papa, oh I love her!" "You must feed her every day, and valk her, and be very careful vhen you play vith her… you know she's going to have puppies." "Really, can I keep the puppies too father?" "Ve'll see Samantha, one small step at a time."**_

As it finished playing, the static overwhelmed it and the radio died. _**I guess he must've worked with Group 935, but why was his daughter there with him? Who would bring their child into such a dangerous environment? **_I heard a low moaning that interrupted my thoughts emitting from a boarded window, _**I need to find a safer place to study these notes, and I can't be out in the open like this. **_I gathered up the rest of the papers and made my way up the stairs that were thankfully nearby. I stopped dead in my tracks when I came across a bridge that was raised, _**Damn, how the hell am I supposed to get across? **_I searched all around me, hoping to find some sort of button or switch, preferably on my side… wouldn't be very useful on the other side. I heard a loud pop and snapped my head to the side towards the noise, my hand jolting towards my holster where my pistol lay. There was a power switch, somewhat far down on the bottom floor, a jump that certainly wouldn't kill me; there was something attached to it, _**Is that… an arm? **_

I grabbed my rucksack in which I had carried everything I had found and all the things I would possibly need and walked towards the edge. Though hesitant, I sat and scooted towards the edge and hopped down, bending my knees to brake the fall, which luckily wasn't a far drop. As I landed I observed my surroundings, and there wasn't much to look at. The switch was attached to a large outlet that was connected to and getting power from a big power grid with thousands of volts surging through it. Besides the warning label and the loud popping of the electricity I knew to steer clear and not get too close, but the power was extensive! _**So much power for one little bridge, that doesn't seem right? **_I walked towards it with haste and caution and placed my hand upon the switch, "Vamos allá, here goes nothing…" I slammed it upwards and stepped back. The lights everywhere quickly flickered on, smoke rose from the bolts of the metallic bridge as it began to drop and a voice could be heard announcing the powers restoration. When everything was done I grabbed my bag and walked out of the room to explore, there was much more to this place than I thought. I walked out of a doorway that was once closed before the power was restored and entered what appeared to be the main chamber. There was a large sign directly above me, _**"Waffenfabrik der Riese"**_, it read. "Where the hell am I?"

Richtofen coughed as the dirt and dust eagerly attempted to enter his mouth. "Ugh, vhy ze hell did ze need an underground tunnel anyvays? Und vhy not make it a bit, oh I don't know, roomier?" Dempsey snickered, "I would think you knew the answer to that, considering everything we've been through and all the problems we've faced you seem to have the answer for." Takeo rolled his eyes, "At reast' the doctor is wise and honorable while you, Dempsey, lack disaprine'." Dempsey just rolled his eyes as the happy German chuckled to himself, "Why do you always side with the crazy doc', he your boyfriend er' somethin'?" Nikolai spewed his mouthful of vodka as loud booming laughs echoed throughout the tunnels, "Hahaha ah, good one American! I'll drink to that!" "Dude you'd drink to anything…" "Hehe… this I know." Takeo simply waved them off, **_They both rack' disaprine' and honor. _**As the duo continued to laugh, Richtofen could hear faint moans mixed into their booming voices. He held up his hand to silence them and stopped. Dempsey wiped the tears from his eyes, "Hahaha, what's wrong doc', did I strike a nerve?" "Quiet!" They all stood still and listened, they could hear moans and groans of undead, somewhere in those moans they could hear growls and snarls of hell hounds, and the worst part was… it was getting closer. "Run, dammit, RUN!" Heel on heel and toe on toe they blasted off in the other direction as the zombies began running closer and closer into view. They all squinted to see a very small and dim light getting closer and closer towards them, "I see a vay out!" Unfortunately, all the yelling, laughing, moaning and growling was just too much for the tunnel's weak, cracked wooden beams to take, and slowly but gradually, they began to snap in two. "Uh doc', we got a problem!" Richtofen turned around to see further down the tunnel towards the entrance the walls were clasping and caving in, burying the zombies and hell hounds in their way and making its way towards them. "Shit and I thought we had had enough bad luck when hell pigs came." "Quick, ve must hurry if ve are going to make it! The exit doesn't look very wide und stable, so ve're going to have to go one at a time." When they finally made it to the exit the first to go was Takeo since almost everyone except Nikolai trusted him enough, after that it was Nikolai since neither Dempsey nor Richtofen minded him that much, and then it was down to them. "Alright I'll go next." Dempsey shoved him aside, "You really think I'm gonna' let you trap me in here to be eaten? Nah doc' I ain't that stupid." Richtofen rolled his eyes, "How do I know you von't do ze same? Besides ve don't have time for zis American! Eizer I go first or ve die, vhich is it?" Dempsey took a minute to hold in what his next argument contained on account of how close the zombies were getting and how close the clasping was. "Fine, but if you kill me I'll make damn well sure my ghost haunts you for the rest of your miserable life." Richtofen smiled, "Sweetest vords you have ever said to me." He crawled through with ease and quickly turned around and, to Dempsey's surprise, immediately held out his hand, "Let's go American." He slapped his hand away, "I think I'm capable of getting out myself." He reached up towards the top of the ledge and slowly pulled himself up, "Alright let's get-" Dempsey was harshly yanked back down, his ankle in the jaws of a hell hound, "Get off of me!" He swished his knife back and forth and jammed it right in between the eyes. "Hurry up Dempshey' ve don't have all day, so ezier die or HURRY THE FUCK UP!" He grabbed the ledge and quickly pulled up right as the rest of the tunnel clasped beneath him.

I walked out of the main chamber and headed into what the sign had made out as the automobile garage. The room was small, so if any vehicle had been stored here, it must've been pretty small. There was a stair case to the left corner that I could only imagine led back upstairs on this side, a furnace was behind it and somewhere I could've swore I heard a little girl crying. **_Is that a little girl crying? I must be going insane. _**I headed upstairs and turned to see a radio wedged between two file cabinets, and it was clearly on considering the static coming from it. I walked to it and turned the knob, **_These radios have been helpful so far…:_**

**_"Test number three iz wizin za test chamber, activate power." "Oh-oh my god." "Get a hold of yourself Edward and clean zis up. Test number three, *sigh*, vas unsucessvul. Subject has been reduced to za same state as furzer test subjects. Clean up ze test chamber and recalibrate za system, let's do it again." "Yes doctor."_**

"I knew he worked here, but who was that other guy with him?" I scratched my chin and turned the radio off, **_I've been getting good information from all these radios, I should probably search for more if I want to get better information. _**I popped open the radio and searched through the wires for the cartridge that had the tape, I've been collecting all the tapes for further use and possibly, if there are any hidden parts or secret film capsules inside, I could decode them. **_I'm not the nerd type or that much of a smart cookie but the world doesn't just fall into chaos within months and there be no reason to it. _**I popped open the radio and searched through the wires for the cartridge that had the tape, I've been collecting all the tapes for further use and possibly, if there are any hidden parts or secret film capsules inside, I could decode them.****I stuffed it in my bag and walked into the next room, **_"Teleporter B." _** "So that's what these machines are… well I guess I know what MDT stands for now. But how is that possible? Teleportation hasn't even been created by the Chinese yet." I studied the large machine and snapped a few pictures of it I was definitely going to need it. I walked around the room and something caught the corner of my eye, another chalk board with the same equations as the ones down stairs in the animal testing lab. Above it was another corkboard with different pictures and notes that were in German that, though I probably could read, were too dirty and ruined for me to make out. As I was about to leave, I stepped on something that I made out to be a book. The front cover said **_Group 935 manual_**, and I knew that my search for anything good had come to an end. I opened it and blew the dust out, pulled up a chair and sat down; this was probably going to take awhile:

**__****_"Gentlemen, allow me to take zis opportunity to welcome you to Group 9-3-5. Zis is a prestigious moment in ze history of our race. You represent the future of technological advancement. You are ze pioneers of human discovery. In your hands lies ze destiny of mankind. In our hands is a great power and vith zat power comes a price… You have volunteered to be part of zis great experiment and vith zat decision comes ze responsibility of absolute secrecy. No one is to know vhat you do, vhere you vork, vhat our research has discovered, or vhat our purpose vill be. You vill have no furzer contact vith your governments or vith your families. Your decision to fully dedicate your lives to Group 9-3-5 is absolute. In your lockers you vill find your field ops manual vhich vill direct you should our manifest get compromised. Ve cannot afford to let zis power fall into ze wrong hands and therefore ze field ops manual should be considered your bible. Make your preparations now. A new dawn is beginning for mankind." _**


	3. Chapter 3: We're doing the Following

_**Chapter three: We're doing the following**_

They all coughed as the collapsing tunnel blew dirt and dust into their throats, they were tired of having their oxygen snuffed away. Takeo was the first to gain his lungs back and began observing his surroundings. _**We are not at the Imperial base anymore… so where have we gone? **_He heard a familiar voice that lurked into a moan of pain and he quickly turned towards it. "Ah son of a bitch that hurt!" Dempsey pressed his hand harshly against his side between his ribs as that area began to stain his shirt red. Richtofen had finally regained his consciousness after hearing Dempsey yell in pain and rushed over with a slight limp, everyone was cut up and bruised but Dempsey was the last one out… he could've received the most damage out of them all. Richtofen slid to a halt in front of him and reached out his hand, only to have it slapped away, "Fuck off doc' I'm fine!" Richtofen sneered back, "I can't afford you dying on me American. Believe it or not I actually require your assistance in zis matter and I vill not continue one man down. Now ezier you allow me to check your vounds or you die taking the fate of the earth vith you." Dempsey growled menacingly as he slowly raised his shirt to reveal a rather large shard of wood that had lodged itself between two of his ribs after the collapse. Richtofen used his gloved fingers to move dead flesh away from the wound as Dempsey grunted to hold in his groans. He took his bowie knife and cut at the wood until it was much smaller and easier to hide beneath his shirt. "Your ribs have secured zis lovely piece of vood for anozer day or two until ve can find medical supplies. It vill keep you from bleeding out but if ve don't find something soon an infection vill begin to sprout causing fever, shakiness and cause you to hyperventilate." Dempsey rolled his eyes as he pushed his shirt down and shifted his position, "Well that's just fucken perfect doc', and you're giving me a few days to live, great." "Not to live dumkopf, to outrun ze infection. Trust me I'm sure once it starts you vill vant to end your life a lot sooner zhen anticipated." Dempsey just made both a concerned and angry look and was helped up by Nikolai, "Ah don't feel bad Dempsey, dying is actually very quick and quite painless! Just ask my fourth wife!"

I yawned as I awoke just a little bit before five thirty in the morning… which was a bit earlier than I had hoped. I stretched my arms and cracked my neck for good measure before packing up my stuff and heading out of the MDT room. I had gathered all the information I needed to know about the fall of Group 935, and it wasn't just curiosity that sprung me this new obsession but the fact that I used to work there… or so I think. _**If only I could remember what the hell it was I did here? Or at least remember when that was? This place seems familiar though… **_I quickly silenced my thoughts on hearing a faint growling coming from the doorway in front of me. I froze in place as a very large hell hound slowly approached me, snarling and drooling towards me. As if by instinct, I slowly shrunk down onto my haunches and placed my bag on the ground. I knew I had a gun but I wanted to see what it was going to do because usually they just attack me, but this one was just staring at me. Its glowing evil eyes seemed to observe my every move, study me, and watch me with some sort of hunger that craved yet despised me all the same. It sniffed near me for some time then slowly began to crawl towards me, teeth still fully exposed and razor sharp. I dared myself not to move, _**If I value my throat in one piece I should definitely just sit the fuck still! **_I yelled at myself mentally as the beast grew ever so closer until finally, he rested directly in front of me. Our eyes met for some time before a noise behind him startled him and he bounded off in the other direction. Though I was glad I didn't get devoured, I was still sort of curious on what exactly made that specific one so intriguing to me. I got up and shrugged it off, it wasn't like I was going to see that very same one again right? I headed towards the edge of the bridge and jumped down… there was still one more place I had to check: _**Teleporter C**_.

Nikolai sloshed through the thick swamp below him that was now filling his boots and soaking his pants… and he was not a happy Russian. With barely any vodka left, no ammo, no vehicle and an injured comrade they all had to walk until any supplies or shelter was found... or maybe even a bar. _**Ah yes baby… a bar would be so nice right now. Drinks everywhere, beautiful women and music playing all around us! Ha-ha now that would be a party! **_Though he was used to being drunk all the time, he had to sometimes remind himself that they were living in a post-apocalyptic world surrounded by the undead and deserted wastelands. He was sure that he wasn't the only one who missed the old days though. He just knew it. While he had time to himself and Takeo was busy reciting old proverbs in his mind and praying to his ancestors that they will survive, Dempsey was feeling funny. They had only been walking for a few hours and he was already feeling out of breath so quickly. _**I'm a Marine dammit! I shouldn't be getting tired after a lil' hike! **_As he cursed at himself, this encouraged him to speed up which was not the wisest of things to do in his condition. He trudged ahead of everyone at a very quick pace but soon found himself slowing down. His vision was blurring, he couldn't stop shaking, and his breathing was becoming a bigger problem than keeping up with the crew who were now ahead of him. He slowed himself down and breathed at a steady pace as he tried to keep up, he wouldn't have the rest of the guys thinking his was weak! Not like back at basics…

_"Sgt. Tank Dempsey!" "Yes sir?" "You've been sent to aid Sgt. Roebuck and Pvt. Sullivan when they attack the Paulau Islands in Japan. You'll be shipped out with the recruits until your previous wounds heal up." Dempsey couldn't believe this! Going in with the recruits, seriously? That's like getting baby-sitting duty for basics back at HQ! He stepped back up, "Sir with all due respect my wounds are not an issue or a liability in this matter, I think I can and will be able to handle myself out there on the front lines with Sgt. Roebuck." The Colonel rolled his chair back around to face him, "Son, I've seen your type before. Now you're a good kid and a hell of a soldier but I will not have more casualties than necessary to when this battle. I have already lost some good damn soldiers and the finest in the world! We just recently lost contact with our OSS Peter McCain and now I'm supposed to assume the worst… and what makes this even more complicated is that no one knows where he is and no one will volunteer to go search for him." Dempsey thought to himself, **If I go and retrieve this OSS I could make it to the front lines in time for the battle at the Paulau Islands! **"I'll go." The Colonel shook his head, was he hearing him correctly? "Come again son?" "I said I'll go sir. You said you need someone to go look for him… I'll do it." The Colonel sighed as he took his hat off and rubbed his head, "The last Intel on his location we got was at some insane asylum in Berlin, Germany about a five days ride from our closest Allies camp. You'll be given help by some extra recruits we have already on campus… are you sure you're up to this?" Dempsey saluted, did an about face and headed for the door, "Sir, absolutely, sir…"_

Richtofen wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed, this humidity was making his clothes stick to him which making him extremely uncomfortable. **_Ugh zis climate iz killing me. Vhy couldn't we have been stranded near ze arctic or somezing; Ze cool air, ze nice breeze… za beautiful wome- Whoa vait vhat? Ugh now zese extreme temperatures are getting to myne head! I'm starting to only zink about vwomen' like Dempshey' and ze rest of ze lower primates I'm shtuck vith! _**He shook out any thoughts of becoming one of his untrustworthy comrades and continued to do what he had been doing for the past couple of hours: swat at mosquitoes and sweat like a stuffed cow in the summer.

I bit the cork off of the half empty vodka bottle and stuffed it with a cloth, frantically digging in my pocket for my lighter. **_Too bad I couldn't finish it; vodka is just about the only damn thing around here that could calm my nerves. _**I lit the cloth and threw it at the horde of zombies that had began to rapidly pour into the entire facility; I knew my notions wouldn't go _that _unnoticed, all the zombies were now picking at the windows and crawling under loosened wires and fences. I needed to find a way to close the Teleporter C door to keep most of them out so I can find a map to get out of here. As the fire cleared from the Molotov's explosion the zombies began to quickly recover and replace their deceased brethren, nothing seemed to work on these guys! I backed up over the small steps within the doorway only to trip over my shoe lace which had seemed to untie itself within time. I was about to panic and pick myself back up when I noticed something out of my peripheral vision. **_Is that… a monkey, taped to some dynamite? _**I gently picked it up not knowing how stable or unstable it could be. It seemed to have a childish glow towards it, like something you would buy your own child should they get lonely and you couldn't afford a dog. It had a wind up on the side and the thing just seemed to stare at me with big red wondrous eyes. **_God you're a creepy little fella'. _**As I observed its odd features, I noticed the zombies weren't attacking me, they were just staring at me and the odd little toy that I held in my hands. **_Huh, that's odd. I wonder… _**I moved the creature to the left and the zombies eyes followed. I grinned; this was just too easy now. I moved it to the right… they followed. "You guys want the monkey?" They just continued to stare, **_tough crowd. _**"Well if you want him, go and get him!" I threw it across the alley below the metallic bridge and grabbed the edge of the giant door, slamming it as hard as I could and using some barbed wire I grabbed off of the fences to wrap around it to keep it closed. "Tres, dos, uno…" In the distance you could hear the monkey stop, **_Bye-bye zombies! _**A loud BOOM could be heard, and as I turned my attention to the wounds on my hands from handling the barb wire so roughly, I headed inside the inner facility.

Since I had yet to explore this part of this so called "Der Riese" facility, which I later translated to "The Giant", I decided it would be wise to get used to these surroundings… there's no telling how long I was going to be there. The first thing that caught my attention before going through the doorway was the oh-so beautiful bowie knife that lay adjacent to the wall. "Oh thank the lord yes! Oh baby you're so gorgeous!" Having a knife collection came in handy, especially when you run into one on the road for free. I picked it up and stuffed it into my boot as I continued my walkabout. The room looked like all the others, cold, boring, and a few corkboards with similar pictures and notes in German. The two in this room read: **Die glocke ist jetzt mobil_, _**which was translated to, **The bell is now mobile_. _**The second note read: **Folgen sie dem gesamtplan_, _**meaning, **Follow the entire plan_. "The bell is now mobile"? "Follow the entire plan"? I can guess the bell has something to do with the rather large clock in the mainframe, but is this about a plan? I'm guessing not all members of Group 935 were involved in this outbreak. There must have been one bad egg in the coup. _**I stuffed the notes and pictures into my bag and headed for the radio I spotted early in my presence. I turned the knobs to get something but nothing came… it must've died long before I could play the tape. "Dammit, I guess I'll have to play it later after I find a good quality radio that isn't dusty or broken, damn machines." I popped it open and swiped the tape from its holster, shocking myself a few times in the process and I went to explore the curious little basement they had next to the Teleporter in room C. As I entered, there was a bloody heel hound paw print against the wall to my left, and when I went to examine it, something shiny and gold below it caught my eye. It was a desk name plate: **Dr. Ludvig Maxis.**

Richtofen wiped the sweat from his neck, with his now soaking wet washcloth, as he squinted his eyes. A small black dot began to form along the horizon line. At first he thought it was just another abandoned fishing shack, they had passed many along the way, but this dot was different. As they got closer he noticed even smaller dots going to and from the bigger one.**_Zat must be anozer Imperial Rising Sun facility! And zhey have aircraft! Just vat ve need. _**He bounded off towards the building in a hurry, his slower comrades trudging through the swamp as fast as they could. "Doctor, what has you running away like your ass caught a flame, eh?" Nikolai bounded off with Takeo closely behind him, and way in the back, Dempsey slowly made his way towards them, "Yo doc'… *gasp*… ya wanna'… slow down fer' a minute?" He gripped his side fiercely as Nikolai, overhearing his grunts of pain, ran to his side to assist. Dempsey had to admit it, when it came to friendship, Nikolai was the only one who seemed to care. "Don't worry American, maybe the crazy German has finally gone bonkers and is chasing invisible butterflies!" With that they laughed away both of their exhaustion and pain as they made their way through the swamp towards the sound of shouting men and propellers.


	4. Chapter 4: Just Visiting

_**Chapter four: Just visiting…**_

_"Thank goodness you have arrived doctor! We were beginning to worry you would not come." Richtofen stepped off the steps of his plane in the Imperial Air Force base and gave Chan a good firm hand shake, "I'm sure you vouldn't have called me in on such short notice if it veren't of the up most importance Corporal Chan. Now tell me, vhat has you and your men so vorked up about?" Chan, both with a worried and curious expression upon his face motioned for him to follow, "Not too long after you had left, a meteor carried vast quantities of element 115 crashed just outside our storage room barriers. The men around the area died instantly from the size of the impact and the radiation emitting from it and were turned into these… creatures. The impact spread like a virus, infecting everyone and everything in its path. At first the men felt nothing, simple aches and ales or minor fatigue, but then it only grew worse. The men been to grow weak, fevers sprouted, vomiting of blood, seizures, and finally death. After we buried almost three-quarters of our squadron we thought the nightmare was over… we were too wrong. The men began to crawl out of their graves and come 'back to life' and they attacked those whom survived. We later found out once you were bitten, you too would have the infection. We did not know element 115 could be such a catastrophic disaster." Richtofen, after hearing all these details, began to remember why he was always so interested in the mysterious element. Back during World War I, expedition site 64 accidently released these undead ancients whom were infected with 115 and imprisoned in the earth for centuries. He remembered how Group 935 tried to rebury them and forget the whole thing… it was only a matter of time before karma came and bit him in the ass, he knew it._

_He bit his lip, "I had been doing research on 115 before you called me in and I must confess, I knew it vould only have been a matter of time before an outbreak occurred and infected someone. If just one tiny ounce escaped from ze meteor, vhich it did, odds are it vould only take a few days before zis entire camp vas engulfed by ze undead. You see ze element doesn't just retain unused power und energy, but it can also reanimate dead cells vithin a deceased or live body. Ze brain is of course of no function meaning your men are now mindless corpse's vondering about, though zhey do not have a functioning mind, zhey run off of one of ze three basic needs… ze need to feed." Chan could only give him a much graver look than before, "How do we eliminate this dreaded curse upon our land doctor? Is there not a cure?" "Zis is not some 'curse' against your people Chan. Zis is far worse from it I'm afraid. Vith ze infection spreading like vildfire ve have no choice but to quarantine ze area und everyone vithin it. I vill send vord out to my top scientists in ze matter and send zhem here to help, but I cannot stay. I have more important vork zat must be done back in Waffenbrik der Riese. I'm sorry I must leave you my friend, but I give you my vord zat ve vill find a cure and ve vill stop zis madness from spreading. It's only a matter of time before-" A loud explosion echoes not far from them, startling both of them. Screams and yells began to erupt from the buildings around them and the undead began to surround them. "Quick start up ze plane, ve must leave at once!" Chan grabbed his arm, "I cannot just leave my people to die here! There must be something that we can do doctor!" Richtofen could only squeeze his shoulder, "I'm sorry mein friend, but zhere is nothing ve can do for your comrades now. Ze infection vill spread to nearby fishing villages and zhen Japan itself! Ve must act now if ve vant to stop it before it's too late!" Chan looked at him and then looked back, these were his men dying; their blood on his hands, he couldn't just leave them behind. Chan grabbed Richtofen's shoulder and squeezed with a weak but friendly smile, "Go doctor and finish your research on this curse. Find a cure and save the rest of Japan. I have done all that I must, but if I leave I will dishonor my duties as a member of the Imperial Army and disgrace my ancestors. It has been an honor and a privilege." He shook his hand and pulled out his pistol, "Get on the plane doctor! I will keep them away!" "You have been a good friend to me Chan! I shall never forget zis!" He boards the plane through the cargo hold doors and they quickly take off. The last thing he saw was Chan throwing his gun away and disappearing into the black marsh._

"停止し、私達にあなたの手を見る！" Takeo's eyes grew wide as he turned around to see him and his comrades surrounded by Imperial forces. Their guns pointed directly at them, and they ordered them to put their hands up. The only one who understood them was Takeo, so he was going to have to takeover if everyone wanted to stay alive. Richtofen looked confused but copied Takeo as did Nikolai and Dempsey. "I will try to ease them into mercy." Takeo turned towards the closest Imperial, "私たちは、土地全体にのばしている最近の不幸の生存者である。我々は、この狂気を停止し、この呪いに終止符を打つしようとしている場合、我々は助けを必要としてください！我々は、感染を停止する方法を知っているドイツの医師を持っています。どこに指揮官は何ですか？" The Imperials around them all grew wide eyed and began to murmur to each other. "I hope you know what you're doing Tak' because if I remember correctly the Imperial's aren't really fond of Americans or Russians, they may not be too eager to let us into their good graces and help us you know?" "Quiet Dempshey' and put this cloak on! They hate Russians, but they hate Americans even more. If they see your face they will shoot on sight! Now keep quiet and let me handle this!" Dempsey just mumbled what could have been something profane underneath his breath while he painfully slipped the cloak on. The Imperials finished speaking and turned towards Takeo, "一人で運が今の自分の人生のすべてを保存している。あなたは私たちと一緒に来て、私たちの司令官に話すでしょう、彼はあなたの運命がしなければならないかを決定します。" Takeo sighed in relief as he put his hands down and everyone else copied, "They are taking us to their commander to decide what to do with us. If everything goes well we may very well live after this day. But for now keep quiet and let me take over, there is no telling what they will do if they find out we have an American with us." Dempsey just grunted and gripped his side, "You all might live but I won't! Who cares if they find out I'm American, I'd rather die than suffer with this twig diggin' into my side!" "Told you!" Richtofen shouted from behind; Dempsey just rolls his eyes.

They followed the Imperial soldiers to that same little black dot they've been trying to reach which, to Richtofen's liking, was an airbase for the Rising Sun Facility. The base itself was large, but the building occupying it was a bit smaller and made from metal. The entire facility was surrounded by a chain-link fence with barbed wire twirling its twisted metallic fingers around to top of it. There was only on gate to go to and from the base, but with this much protection they all assumed they basically lived here. They reached the gate and the two guards on the outside stood to attention and, after noticing the four odd men standing behind them grew worrisome and confused. One of them turned towards the soldiers, "これらの見知らぬ人は誰ですか？なぜあなたはここにそれらをもたらすのですか？" The soldier saluted, "彼らは何年も前にこの地を呪わ何の治療法を持っていると信じています。私たちは大佐チャン静香に持参したい。" Takeo lifted an eyebrow after hearing them mention their commander's name, **_Colonel Chan Shizuka, where have I heard that name before? Why does it sound so familiar? _**The guard's eyes widened as well and they immediately opened the gates allowing them to enter. They walked through and headed towards the bunker, sweat dripping off of all their heads, this was more nerve racking than anticipated. Takeo prayed that his ancestors were watching over him and protecting him, for if they see an American with them, they won't waste a single breath in order to kill all of them.

The doors opened revealing a lot fewer men than Takeo had guessed. Perhaps there are more outside patrolling the base? The soldiers brought them to a table where a map of Japan laid. Little toy figures stood at different positions across the map showing strategies and locations of importance. A man stood bent over the table observing the little trinkets when out of the corner of his eye he spots them. He stands to attention, not noticing any of their faces as of yet, and the soldier pokes Takeo, "点で弓！" Takeo bows in respect of the Colonel and elbows his comrades to do the same. They all awkwardly bow until the soldier felt satisfied that they all may rise. Chan looks up at them and it is then obvious he was their commander. "Chan, you're alive?" Richtofen spoke up and everyone inside looked at him, "Richtofen, my dearest friend you have returned!" Chan held his hand up, "彼らは今、私のゲストである、敵対ではありません！あなたの武器を下げる！" The soldiers lowered their weapons and returned to their original posts, "Chan mein friend I thought you died after I had left!" Richtofen and Chan gave each other a manly hug while Dempsey, Nikolai and Takeo began to look terribly confused, **_Well he's just makin' friends all over the damn place, _**Dempsey thought. Richtofen turned to them, his arm still around the shoulders of his friend, "Oh vhere are my manners? Gentlemen zis is Chan Shizuka, a friends from ze Imperial base I vorked at so long ago!" Takeo bowed, Nikolai waved retardedly', and Dempsey stood quiet. Chan's eyes narrowed, he wasn't as stupid as Takeo may have thought him to be. "Why have you brought an American to my base Richtofen? They could have been responsible for this curse!" He lifted his pistol and pointed it right at him. "Now, now, vait, no need to get defensive Chan. Dempshey' is a stupid American, your right, but as painful as it is for me to say I actually need him vith us. It's a long story but I need you to trust me mein friend. Now to skip ze arguments ahead, do you have any medical supplies? As you can see, his health is of ill concern." Chan narrowed his eyes and holstered his gun, "Back room, top shelf." "Zhank you Chan, you're a saint!" As Richtofen headed for the room and Dempsey removed the smelly cloak Chan points a stern finger to him, "Your country racks' disaprine' and bring shame to their families. I do not like you or your drunken friend, but I like Richtofen. So for his sake I will let you live, but if you betray me or I find out it was you who caused all of this horror I will see to it that your head is mounted on my wall!"

Dempsey tossed the cloak away and bent to his knee gripping at his side fiercely, "Yea, yea, I got the message bub'! Right now… *gasp*… I'm not in the mood… *wheeze*… to fight some fucken'… *cough*… chink!" Before Chan even got the chance to yell at him he collapses to the ground wheezing and breathing heavily. Nikolai ran to his side, "Uh doctor, you may want to hurry if you want to keep Dempsey alive!" Richtofen rushes back in and kneels next to him. He felt his head, he was starting to burn up to 103 degrees, if he gets any higher that infection was going to take over his body and shut him down. "Quickly Chan call in two of your medics! I'm going to need all ze help I can get!" Chan ran and summoned his two best medical officers who looked rather shocked to see a dying American on the floor… wouldn't Colonel Chan _want _ him to die?

"医師は担架の上に彼をロードするヘルプ！私は今行く、誰かが抗生物質を見つけることが送信されます！" Chan ran as fast as he could to the medical bay while the two medics loaded Dempsey onto the stretcher and wheeled him into the next empty room available. "Takeo be my translator; I need a scalpel, syringes, gloves, a needle, plastic tubing und a face mask, sterilize all of zhem!" Takeo translated and sent them both off to gather his list while the group surrounded Dempsey and prepared the room for immediate surgery. "Takeo take ze Velcro and tie his arms und legs down, if he vakes up during ze surgery zhere is no telling vhat he'll do." Takeo did as he was told while Nikolai helped Richtofen remove his shirt. Takeo and Nikolai cringed at the horrible gash in his side, you could tell it was infected, the stick was rotten and decayed and Richtofen knew he had to pull it out but what if he can't stop the bleeding? He was going to need as many hands he could get to assist him. The medical officers soon returned with everything he had asked for and Richtofen began to wash his hands along with the medics, "Nikolai get me some rags and hand me your vodka!" The order astounded him, "My… vodka?" Richtofen rolled his eyes, **_Cry baby. _**"Ve don't have time for zis! Do you vant him to live or not?" Nikolai gathered the rags and said his mental goodbyes to his last bottle of vodka, **_That American owes me much more than one bottle, _**he pouted. Richtofen pulled on his gloves and face mask and as Chan soon returned with the antibiotics and anesthesia, he immediately hooked him up to it. Richtofen reached for the scalpel when one of the medics grabbed his hand, "医者まだ手術を開始しないでください！麻酔は彼をもたらすための時間を必要としています！" "Vhat is he saying Takeo?" "He says the anesthesia needs time to take effect, you cannot start the surgery yet." Richtofen shoved his hand away, "Tell him ve have to start early or he vill die!" Takeo translated and with a grim look, the medic handed him a stick for Dempsey to bite down on. Richtofen put it in his mouth just as his eyes opened and the realization dawned on him, "Zis uh… may hurt a little…"


	5. Chapter 5: Following Invisible Footprint

_**Chapter five: Following invisible footprints**_

_Richtofen ran as fast as his legs would allow him as he zigzagged through the office nearly taking out nearby workers. He had to inform Dr. Maxis about the outbreak in Japan before things got way out of hand. He slid to a halt right outside of Maxis' office when he saw two Wehrmacht officers standing beside him talking. **Vhat on earth are ze Wehrmacht doing here? Did somezing happen? **Just as he was about to intervene, the officers shook his hand, saluted, and left without another word. Maxis sat down at his desk and let out a heavy sigh, obviously something was wrong. Richtofen knocked on the side of the open door, "Dr. Maxis, is everything alright?" Maxis removed his glasses and set them upon his desk, "Come in Edvard'… und close ze door behind you. I need mein friend und not mein assistant right now." Richtofen closed the door and pulled up a chair next to him, **Hmph, so now I get to be his "friend"? **_

_Maxis rubbed between his eyes and released another sigh, this wasn't going to be an easy conversation to start and continue. "Edvard', ve had an incident today in ze lab vhile testing ze MDT. I thought ze machine vas ready to handle a live human test subject, but clearly I vas mistaken. Ze device killed him, but ze element 115 reanimated his body und he began to attack ze ozer vorkers. Ve had to quarantine zhose infected und kill ze original host. Zhough my memory is blank ever since expedition 64, I can still remember vhat caused zis common outbreak. I thought ze nightmare for Group 935 vas over but I vas also gravely mistaken. Ze Nazi Party und Waffen-SS heard of our misfortune but rather zhen help us zhey expect us to send super weapons und train zhese undead people as un army!" He was now no longer talking but yelling at a loud volume, and the workers outside the office began to look very worried and even tried to peak in the window. Maxis pulled the blinds over it and continued, "I must come clean und confess, ze company vas low on funding und ve vere zis close to going bankrupt, but ze Nazi Party agreed to help fund us as long as ve continue testing ze element on human test subjects und mass-produce super weapons to help zeir cause in ze war." After hearing this Richtofen became furious. He immediately stood up and slammed his hands on his desk looking him dead in his eyes, "How could you possibly except zis deal? I came here to tell you zis element is dangerous! A meteor landed in Japan at ze Imperial base and infected ze entire facility! Ze entire country of Japan could be infected soon if ve don't do something about it!" Maxis seemed surprised at this, he wasn't expecting the element to move that quickly. "I'll send a squadron of our soldiers to stop ze spreading, but ve have new orders now. Ve are no longer able to focus on our main cause!" Maxis rose and began to walk out, "Und vhat 'cause' vould zat be?!" Maxis turned around, "To help all of Germany and mankind itself!"_

"I need ze plastic tubing quickly! Hand me zat scalpel, und you two hold zhese rags over ze incision!" Richtofen worked frantically and as steadily as he could but Dempsey wasn't making his job any easier. He understood the pain Dempsey was probably feeling right now but he needed to at least try to stay still or his struggling may cause Richtofen to make another accidental incision… which could prove fatal in his condition. Dempsey's groans in agonizing pain could only grow louder with each cut and scrape that Richtofen made. His teeth grinding and digging deep into the wood between his jaws so fiercely that everyone thought it would snap like a twig. He was no longer in control of how his body reacted, his movements were panicky and his muscles slashed out uncontrollably like a rabid dog. Even though Richtofen knew the anesthesia would kick in soon, to Dempsey, it was like waiting in line to die. "Takeo translate: I need a bucket of varm vater und a lighter of some kind!" The two medics listened and were quickly out the door to fetch the things he needed while Nikolai held Dempsey's shoulders down to prevent him from moving too much during surgery. Soon the medics returned with the items Richtofen needed and stood to the side awaiting new orders. "Takeo get ze two medics to hold Dempshey's arms und legs down. After I light zis scalpel and start digging deep he's going to go more ballistic zhen I had hoped." The medics strapped him down as tight as they could and watched Richtofen light the tip of his scalpel until it glowed a dim orange color. After passing the easy rout and clearing the dead flesh from around the wound and putting certain oils around it to make cutting easier, it now came time for the hard part, removing the wood from his side and patching him up before he bled to death.

Sweat began to form in the side of his head and around his ears as he lowered the burning scalpel towards Dempsey's gash. Before he could even comprehend what was going on Dempsey's arm broke free and grabbed Richtofen's arm in an attempt to stop him, his eyes reflecting a wild animal. Richtofen stopped Chan from removing his arm as he tried to calm him down knowing if he angered him any further he could snap his arm like a twig. "Dempshey' if you don't allow me to remove ze vood you're going to end up dying a slow und painful death, und I know you vouldn't vant to die before me now vould you?" Dempsey's expression began to slowly disintegrate as his grip loosened upon his arm and his eyes began to fluttered open and shut. Richtofen slowly removed his arm from his grip and strapped it back down. "Ze anesthesia is starting to vork its vay into your bloodstream but your shtill going to feel zis, I assure you." Dempsey gave a half conscious nod before Richtofen began to lower the burning scalpel towards the gash.

As soon as he began digging across his tender flesh Dempsey was already leaving holes in the wood between his gritted teeth. His loud moans of pain echoed throughout the entire facility while Takeo, Nikolai and Chan were busy holding him down, much to their dismay. He was thrashing about like a wild animal, snarling in pain while desperately trying to escape. His mind raced as he tried to think of other things to help ease the pain but he wasn't even in control of his own muscles. The warm blade easily slid across his skin and carved through him like a thanksgiving turkey and all-in-all this was probably the worst hell he could possibly go through. But while he sat there in pain lunging about he was finally able to comprehend something before he blacked out. His life was being saved by his worst enemy. Dr. Edward Richtofen was saving his life…

My wrists and palms stung as I poured a small bottle of alcohol over the wounds, but that barb wire isn't going to keep that many zombies out for long. I needed to find a way out of this place or I was a dead woman. **_This place was nice and all but Der Riese can kiss my ass. Screw this place and all its fucken' glory I'm outta' here. _**I grabbed my bag and gun and headed back to the front gate of Teleporter C to look around some more, there had to be another exit somewhere around here. Though I was highly distracted by the loud clashing and banging on the door I was able to notice something out of my peripheral vision. The rusted and worn chain fence was bent upward at the bottom to where I could barely squeeze under to get out of here. I quickly jogged over feeling the intensity of the moment as I ran and slid underneath it with ease, not even having to think twice. Biggest mistake anyone should ever make. A crawler that had been sneaking about lunged for me and found a tasty snack out of my ankle. I yelled in pain as I swatted it away with my bowie knife and limped away to safety as fast as I could. **_Son of a bitch I'm bit! What the hell am I going to do? I've seen what this does to people and I haven't met a single person that survived exposure! _**As I stared in horror at the bite now gushing with the dark thick blood that rushed through me I tore a piece of my shirt off and wrapped it around the wound, grunting in pain as I tightened it. "Well, let's see how strong I really am." I limped further and further away from the base and headed in whatever direction had the least amount of undead and more amount of booze, I was definitely going to need a drink if I survived this . I had no destination or direction to where I was headed but I knew one thing for sure… I was soon going to find out how much resistance was hidden inside of lil' ol' me.

I chugged down the last bottle of liquor I had found hidden within the Der Riese facility and tossed the bottle across an empty alley enjoying the sound of the clash. I weakly lifted my hand and felt my forehead, I was burning up badly and my wound ached and throbbed. It had turned to a disgusting yellow-purple and was no longer gushing blood but puss instead. My vision was fuzzy from time to time and I walked as if I were drunk, slowly gliding to my left or right unable to stay in a straight line. **_Come on keep it together dammit! You can survive this! Just remember what that document said about the infection! Only the strong can survive the side effects. _**After mentally slapping myself and giving my mind the motivation it needed I decided now would be a good time to stop and find out where the hell I was. It was just a dark alleyway with maybe a few flickering streetlights every once and awhile and occasionally a slow corpse wandering around. Every road was in German and the street and stop signs were too, everything was German. **_Good thing I took German when I was younger I would be lost out here._** I walked past some of the worn out buildings wearily, I hated being in unfamiliar territory feeling vulnerable and weak. It made uncomfortable memories that I had wished to be forgotten so long ago come back to me:

_"Vhere is he, girl," His voice was harsh and stern, something most Wehrmacht officers had but this guy, this wasn't just any Wehrmacht officer… this was General Heinrich Amsel I was dealing with. "I said vhere is he!" He lifted my chin so that our eyes met but I looked away, he disgusted me. "Come now, do not make me hurt zat pretty face." I turned towards him and spat as much blood that had been pooling in my mouth from former attempts to get me to talk that of course, failed. He wiped the blood from his face, amused almost, "I like your fierceness and arrogance it's actually rather adorable, but I need answers, und if you von't give zhem to me, zhen I guess I vill I have to convince you ozhervise," I laughed, "And how exactly are you going to do that?" He gave a sinister smile as he walked over to someone who had a bag over his head, struggling against the chair, "I zhink I can guarantee you vill tell me soon enough." As he removed the sack from the strangers head my eyes widened with fear as a he pointed a gun to his head and didn't hesitate. "Nein bitte nicht ihm nicht weh!" I shouted, trying to fight back the tears in my eyes, "Er ist in der Hauptstadt von Russland in Moskau mit einer Armee bereits dort stationiert!" He turned and smiled at me as the tears that I could no longer hold began to drip down my cheeks, "Now please, please don't hurt him!" He just gave a cold stare, "Zhank you my dear for your cooperation. Möge er in Frieden ruhen." There was a loud bang and I fell to my knees in tears, "No, father!"_

I hadn't even noticed my tear stained cheeks as I passed by on old theater along the road. I pushed the harsh memory out of my head as I walked up to it: **Kino der Toten. "Theater of the dead", I wonder what was playing here before this chaos arrived. **I cringed as the pain in my ankle reminded me that I didn't really have the luxury to choose where I was going to get to stay and I decided that an old theater couldn't be all that bad of a place to rest for now. I limped inside and shut the doors tight behind me, locking them and boarding them up for safe measure. With whatever accuracy I had left I cleared out the main room and hallway of the undead and slowly sat down among a nearby couch. My eyelids felt heavy and shallow, and after crying so much in the streets without even noticing I was now emotionally worn out. I needed sleep, and much to my dismay, my body wouldn't allow me any other option. I closed my eyes and allowed the darkness to consume my vision and my last thoughts, **Huh, welcome to the theater of the dead bitch. **


	6. Chapter 6: A Monster inside us All

_**Chapter Six: A Monster inside us All**_

_The car pulled up as quietly as it could beside the lot. None of the soldiers, including Dempsey, knew what they were going to find when they entered the Wittenau Sanatorium. All that mattered to Dempsey was finding Peter, completing the mission and getting the hell out of here as fast as they could. They were in Axis territory now, if they got captured there would be no help for them… they'd be on their own, and he knew this._

_"Alright runts listen up! An American OSS named Peter McCain was compromised during a covert, undercover mission assigned to him a few months ago to this 'Group 935' protocol. It's our job to find him and bring him back to HQ in one piece, so stay close and don't get in my way, got it?" "Yes sir!" They quickly huddled by his side as they made their way towards the front gates leading into the courtyard. As he began to look around he noticed something wasn't quite right, **Shouldn't there be a whole squadron of Waffen-SS er' somethin' waiting for us? If he was being held here someone would be watchin' him, right?" **Dempsey began to feel that knot in his stomach that always came around when he was uneasy or on edge, this place was out of whack._

_They crossed the yard and what appeared to be a broken water fountain and headed towards the main door that would lead inside. He stepped to one side while the soldiers surrounded the door, "Ready?" They nodded and he stepped forward and kicked it down, "Breach and clear, go, go, go!" The door was immediately shut behind them and locked down as they observed the asylum. Dempsey grew confused, "What the fuck is this? There's no one here! Fan out there's gotta' be more rooms to check." "Hey I found a staircase!" He nodded, "Alright you two check upstairs and Roger and I got down here." The two marines headed upstairs while Dempsey and Roger lowered their weapons, if no one was here why bother?_

_**Damn this place is a ghost town. Where the hell is everybody? **He took the time to light a cigarette and strapped his M16 to his back. "Well since there ain't shit here we might as well go check the other rooms. Let's head through those doors and see if we can find anything. If worse comes to worse they found out we were comin' and left in a hurry, let's just hope that's not the case." A trail of cigarette smoke was left behind as they progressed forward and headed for a room that appeared to be both a doctors quarters and a library. **That's a creepy and weird combo. **He set down his bag and rummaged through the books in the bookshelves, maybe they hid their tactical plans in one of these books._

_As he yanked out books left and right flinging dust everywhere he came across the only white book in the entire shelf with hardly any dust on it, as if it was used recently. He pulled it out and blew off the grime covering the title: **Dr. Edward Richtofen.** **Who the hell is Richtofen? **He opened the book and flipped through its pages mostly skimming and looking at the pictures. He was amazed at what he found. **What's an MDT? The Vril? The MPD? Who the hell is Ludvig Maxis? **His palms began to sweat, "I gotta' bring this back with me, Colonel Blakely is gonna' want to see this." He mumbled to himself. Just as he had finished stuffing it into his bag he heard a yell and quickly came running in. "What is it, what's goin' on?" The marine pointed to a doctor's chair, trembling. There was an arm, still freshly dripping with blood and tissue, sitting stuck in one f the restraints. Dempsey stared at it for awhile and looked back at the marine who held out his hand to him. In his hand lye the dog tags to OSS Peter McCain stained with blood and dented with age. "Shit." Dempsey grabbed his gun, "Shit, no, it's a trap, we gotta' get outta' here! Go get the others tell them-" A loud scream could be heard upstairs and gun shots echoed throughout the halls. Moans and groans erupted and bodies began to dig their way up from their graves and approach the asylum. The dead were coming back to life… and coming for them._

Dempsey shot up panicking, sweat pouring from his forehead. He quickly looked around and realized he was in a bed, a small one at that, and it was medical bay. He moved his feet to the side of the bed and gripped his side, raising his shirt to reveal a bandage covering his right rib cage. **_Oh yeah I forgot about that, huh. I guess the doc really did need me._**He slowly got up and headed across the hallway towards the voices that rocked the barracks.

"I'm telling you guys it was the most amazing night I ever had! If you thought I was a good drunk now you should've seen me years ago! I was at this old bar called the HopStick Barrows and-" Takeo quickly held up a hand to silence him, "No one wants to hear about your disappointing past Nikolai! Spare my ears with whatever honor you have left!" He snickered, "Fuck your honor Takeo, I've lived almost all my life without it and I don't need some almond eyed idiot telling me how to live the rest of it!" Shaking his fists Takeo looked like he was about to put Nikolai and his ancestors to shame when Dempsey broke up the fight, "Whoa whoa both of ya calm down will ya? I've got a headache and you two will just make it worse. Take it outside."

Nikolai went from angry to sympathetic and squeezed the life out of Dempsey with one of his old Russian 'bear hugs'. "Ah my good old American friend, you live! I thought I would never have a drinking buddy ever again!" He set him down and got serious again, "By the way, you owe me double amount of vodka used to heal your stupid body." Dempsey couldn't help but chuckle as Richtofen made his way towards him, "Ah good Yankee doodle, you survived! I'm so… thrilled." He made a sarcastic expression and sighed, "Oh vell, it seems no matter how hard I try I just can't get vrid' of you." Dempsey ignored him, "Hey doc can I talk to you fer' a sec'?" Though weary and suspicious he walked over towards him and moved away from the wandering ears of his other comrades. "Listen doc, I've been having strange dreams lately and it wasn't until now that I realized it's probably something I should talk to you about, but I think their flashbacks or premonitions of some kind." Richtofen scratched at his chin, "Interesting, und how long have you been having zhese _premonitions_?" "I dunno, about a month or two, I can't remember. But I can see them so vividly, almost as if they were really happening or are supposed to." "Do you remember any of zhem?"

He thought about the one he had before he awoke a few minutes ago. Should he tell him he found a book with his name on it? Or the fact that these weren't just dreams but possibly memories? He decided not to tell him about that one and skip to one he's had a little before it. "Well there was one where I was walking around in a theater. There was a stage and a little girl was standing in the middle of it holding a teddy bear. She kept repeating, "Kino der toten, kino der toten, over and over again. I'm guessing it's German?" Richtofen's palms began to sweat again, "It means "Theater of the dead". I suppose you believe ve should go to zis place or vill in time?" He nodded and Richtofen sighed, "I believe you are suffering from shock und a little amnesia. I vill see vhat medicines und drugs I can find to give you before ve leave." Dempsey grew confused, "Leave, where are we going?" "Our next destination is an old factory in Berlin, Germany called Waffenbrik der Riese. Vhat I gathered from ze swamps vill not suffice. Ve are leaving in a few hours, so I vouldn't get to comfortable." He turned and walked back to join Chan in conversation while Dempsey was left with his thoughts, **_Der Riese, why does that sound familiar? _**Just then Richtofen came back, "Oh und I almost forgot, drink zis, it'll help vith ze pain." He handed him a bottle of Juggernog and began walking back with an unpleasant smile across his lips.

I tossed and turned as much as I could but it was no use, no matter what position I was laying in the pain was still there. I had started to sweat like a hot pig and shake as if the room I slept in was below thirty degrees. My eyes were blood shot and dark circles molded around them. I was weak and in pain, but I wasn't going to let death take me. Not while I still had a single breath in me. I rolled over and tried to fall back asleep when a sharp pain pierced into my chest near my heart. I screamed in agony and fell to the floor as my entire body throbbed with aches and fatigue. I coughed, catching blood in my hands and my headed felt as if it would explode. "Oh god, the pain…" I gripped my stomach and got up running to the bathroom to throw up more of my own blood. I hunched over the toilet and hacked my brains out while my vision began to fail me inch by inch. I trembled and splashed cold water on my face trying to calm myself down but to little avail. I wasn't even able to think anymore, my mind was growing one of its own. I stared into the mirror in horror. My eyes were illuminating a yellow glow, my skin looked a gray and pale, and all I could think about was eating. I was just so… hungry. But if there was one thing I knew it was this: this night was going to end one of two ways, either I live to fight another day or I die and be brought back to walk with the undead.

I snarled like an animal and violently threw everything off the sink, shuddering at the sound of it crashing to the ground. My emotions intertwined with my actions and I thrashed about crazily. I punched the mirror in front of me and tossed the glass across the bathroom growling madly. I foamed at the mouth as I ran out curling my fingers around my hair squeezing my eyes shut tight. When I opened them again they were pure yellow and with whatever strength I had left, I raised my head back and howled like the undead that surrounded me. My thoughts were no longer my own, someone or something was talking to me now, **_Let it take over, no more hiding, no more running, no more killing, you can be free now. Just let it consume you and become one of us, become a part of our family. Join us. _**I growled and shook my head viciously, **_No, I won't listen! This isn't me! This isn't who I am! I will not become one of you! _**The voice hissed back, **_You will join us! You don't have a choice! Join us, leave behind the monster you have become. _**I slowly and calmly released the tight grip in my hair, I stumbled a little and stood straight up, I flexed my fingers, cracked my knuckles and opened my eyes to reveal their normal gray color. I snarled and clenched my fists tightly, **_Never. _**

Dempsey awoke yet again from another disturbing dream by the sound of propellers and shouting men. **_Time goes by fast, guess it's time to go already? _**He slowly sat up and rubbed his side, the Juggernog was really helping the pain go away. But he couldn't for the life of him remember that dream he had a few hours ago. That was going to bug him for the rest of the day… **_Oh well. _**He slowly made his way to the main chamber and followed everyone else outside after packing his bag, he couldn't wait to get out of this humid, sticky uncomfortable swamp. "Ah I can't wait to feel and smell the fresh Germany air! Beats smelling like this, mucky, smelly and sticky; hey Takeo how can you stand smelling like this all the time? You do know there is this thing called a shower, da?" As he chuckled to himself Takeo just rolls his eyes, if there was one thing he was good at it was ignoring the Russian.

Richtofen finished loading all the bags onto the plane and turned to Chan, "Vell mein friend it looks like zis is anozer goodbye ve vill go through. Are you sure you don't vant to come vith us? Ve could us ze extra hand." Chan just shook his head no, "I'm sorry Edward, but my place lies with my soldiers and comrades, as does yours. Your path is clear but mine is still here in my homeland." Nikolai turned, "Da your homeland sucks ass." Dempsey just pushed him in laughing while they continued, a worried and sarcastic look across Chan's face as he sighed, "I will pray to my ancestors that you survive those brutes." They shook hands and hugged one last time before Richtofen boarded the plane. Chan tapped atop the glass signaling the pilots to go and the aircraft slowly began to travel down the landing pad and down the freeway. Richtofen watched him as they began to lift off and leave. He then noticed something happening while he was still in sight, there was a lot of movement behind him and his comrades seemed to be running around, panicking. He squinted to see the undead breaking through the fenced walls and surrounded the base in a single wave of destruction. But this time he never saw his friend leave that pile of zombies, instead he saw him devoured just as quickly as it happened. "Oh godz' no…" He mumbled aloud. "What is it doctor?" Takeo walked up next to him and stared out the window, "Oh my, this is not good." The worry seemed to flood the plane and both Nikolai and Dempsey came over to see what was going on. "Well shit, I didn't even get a chance to thank him." Richtofen turned back around, "He sacrificed himself to give us a chance at survival. His bravery would not have died in vain." Takeo bowed his head to pray while Dempsey and Nikolai sat in the corner thinking about what just happened. Richtofen turned to look back out the window even though they were now thousands of feet above the ground. **_Chan you fool… vhat have you done? _**


	7. Chapter 7: Not Alone

_**Chapter Seven: Not Alone**_

_He rubbed his eyes and yawned letting out an exasperated sigh, **Why does father insist in bringing me out here so early in the morning? Can't I sleep at all anymore? **He heard his father open the back door and greet him in his shack, "Ah there's my little Nikki'!" Nikolai groaned rolling his eyes, "How many times must I remind you father, I HATE it when you call me that! It is girls' name!" His father laughed and patted him on the back, "Ah well come, come, we have chairs and matryoshka dolls to carve, da?" He nodded and trudged through the thick snow that blanketed his entire backyard. "Brrrr, it's getting colder, no? I love mother Russia but sometimes she can be a harsh woman." "Ah but that is woman's job my son. You work and give her money, she spends it and nags you til' your hair is gray; supposedly a win-win right?" They shared a long laugh as his father pulled out a few bottles of the one drink you could never get tired of in Russia… vodka. "Oh father when are you going to quit? I thought you promised me you would stop drinking if I got mother out of the house?" He popped the top off and took a sip eyeing his son's worried look. "Da, I was going to I swear, but this stuff is addicting. And it's good! No way could I beat that. Why don't you drink, it'll relax you." He sighed, his father's health was all he ever worried about anymore, especially since his mother left him and basically visits him only for money. He leaned over and grabbed one of the bottles, popped the top off and took a few sips before getting a surprising look from his father, "I didn't know you drink?" "Da, I enjoy it but I am not a drunk like you, I can control my intake. Besides, I am younger and healthier than you father. It is only your well-being that worries me day after day, and I just wish I could give you more than just my company, like money to care for you or a better house. I must have really disappointed you."_

_Nikolai's father scooted next to him and held his shoulder, "Nikolai, you are my son, and the best I will ever have. I would even go as far as to say I love you more than your sister considering she mooches money from me and has gone into prostitution with that wretched husband of hers, but I love you both. There is nothing you will ever do to make me stop loving you ever, and you have never, nor will you ever, disappoint me in any way. You are my son, my little bear cub, and you always will be." Nikolai wasn't the crying type but he could feel the tears behind his eyes, "Ah don't cry son, it will make you look like girl. But at least then I could call you Nikki'!" They laughed and clinked their bottle together when there was a knock at his door, "Ah I'll get it papa, you just stay there and finish cutting that arm chair." He set his bottle down and walked across the backyard, through the house and towards the front door._

_There was a man in a long overcoat and dark cotton pants standing there, wearing sunglasses to hide his face and had a nametag attached to the breast pocket on the front. Nikolai blinked, **Uh oh, he doesn't look very friendly. What's with the glasses, it is 6 am, there is no sun out? **He cleared his throat, "Uh, can I help you?" The man went from serious to smiling, tipping his glasses down to meet his gaze, "доброе утро, good morning my friend! My name is Viktor Bogrov and I understand you have financial issues, no?" Nikolai squinted in suspension, "Da, who wants to know?" "Well, you see- is there a more private place we may speak? Out in the open isn't very safe for the information I possess."_

_Though still suspicious he allowed him inside and sat him down in the living room, "Would you like a drink?" "нет, no thank you." He walked over sat across from him crossing his arms, "So what is this so called 'secret information' you wish to share with me, eh?" Viktor pulled out a file from his coat pocket and slid it to him, "I work for a man named Dr. Edward Richtofen, do you know him?" He nodded no and he continued, "Well Dr. Edward is a brilliant man and a great physicist at that. His ideas on quantum mechanics and string theory have blown my mind. Any who, he is looking for volunteers in his line of work for experimentation within his field and if you sign this contract not only will thousands of dollars in cash be rewarded for your generosity but you will be reinstated with new life insurance as well for people of your choosing." Nikolai thought about this for a moment, if he signed this… he basically be signing his life away. **But father needs the money and insurance. He is close to losing his house as it is. **Nikolai looked back through the screen door at his father. He was still drinking and carving that arm chair, smiling happily and coughing cold smoke from the outside chill._

_He turned back to Viktor after ending his deep thought, "If I do this, the money will be brought here? And the insurance should I choose to do so with it?" He nodded, "Da, everything will be delivered here if you choose to do so before departure." Nikolai grew confused, "Departure, where would I be going?" "You won't be far from home I assure you, just in a top-secret location called Eagles Nest in Siberia. Unfortunately, your contact with any family here would be extremely limited to almost virtually none at all for you and your families safety." "Safety, from what?" "I'm sorry but that's classified Mr. Belinski." He paused looking at the mysterious man, "How do you know my name?" The man stood up leaving the file on the table and heading towards the door, "I work for Group 935 Mr. Belinski, and we know everyone's names. If I were you, I would consider this offer. You'll never get another chance at this." He opened the door letting the cold bitter air flood inside, "I'll take my leave Mr. Belinski. My number is in the file should you make up your mind." And with that the mysterious man left without a trace, leaving Nikolai to his thoughts. "Little Nikki', are you going to help me with these matryoshka dolls or not, hahaha?"_

Takeo stared at him with suspicious eyes. **_What an oaf. He tries to drown his past in vodka. It will consume him one day. _**He studied him as he slept, face twitching, body moving with every breath, half-empty bottle of vodka clutched tightly in his hand and mumbling to himself in his sleep. He must have been dreaming about something pretty unpleasant… but he always seems so happy when he's awake. **_What could he possibly have to regret in his past? He's just a drunken fool with absolutely no honor within him… just alcohol. _**Takeo shrugged it off and tilted against the wall of the plane to try and get some sleep of his own while Richtofen stared out the window. No one had said a word to him since they left; perhaps they thought he was in mourning? **_Nonsense, I am a doctor! I do not mourn my friends or comrades! Even if ve vere closer zhan most. *Sigh* vhy did sacrifice himself like zhat? Did he even know ze base vas surrounded, or vas he just completely unaware of his incoming demise? Aua mein Kopf, mein head is starting to ache, und I am feeling a multitude of emotions. I do not like zhis! I need shleep'. _**He leaned against the window as his eyes fluttered in and out of consciousness, he couldn't recall the last time he got any sleep. Considering the constant flashbacks and memories hording his mind and now these new so called "emotions" that he rarely has felt, sleep sounded like the inevitable. His mind was always under constant surveillance and thinking continuously. The voices in his head wouldn't leave him alone, pestering him, mocking him, sometimes even intimidating him to where shouting and screaming at his undead children would be his only option of drowning them out.

The others thought he was crazy… him crazy? **_Zhey don't know vhat crazy is. I'm certainly not crazy. It's all the voices in mein head's fault! _**He spoke a bit too soon:

_Fool. Idiot. Liar. You need us._

He grabbed his head and tried to ignore them:

_Ha! You cannot ignore us! You cannot ignore what you have become! You are trapped, cornered, damned until the end of your miserable life when all hell will be waiting for you!_

**_I am in control of my mind, not you! I have control. I am in control. _**

He rubbed his temples until the aches began to fade away and the voices died down again. Sighing, he rolled over and attempted to sleep.

Dempsey looked around the cargo hold of the plane with annoyance, everyone but him could sleep. **_Well this is just fucken' great. Damn nightmares were keeping me up anyways. _**He shifted his position and looked out his window considering there were only two in the entire cargo hold. It had only been about eight hours, which meant they had about three hours left before they arrived in the outskirts of Breslau, Poland, where this supposed "factory" is. As much as Dempsey wanted to believe the doc's story it just didn't add up. How would he know about this factory in the first place anyways? **_Doc must've done a lot of travelin' in this 'job' of his._** He shifted again staring at him. He watched him twitch and move along with his other comrades, **_Damn, everybody must be gettin' nightmares around here. Wonder what's causing them cuz' it wasn't like this before. _**He stared back out the window when he noticed something: the fog that was thousands of feet below them was now hundreds, and they were cutting through it as it blanketed above them. **_What the hell, why are we lowering? We still got at least another two hours or so. _**He got up to investigate the cockpit, make sure the pilots didn't fall asleep. After cracking his knuckles on the way there he knocked, "Hey, you guys ok, we've been lowering kinda' rapidly? Are we low on fuel er' somethin'?" The silence just echoed the metallic walls of the plane. He cringed, "Uh, hahaha, guys I know ya don't speak english but at least make an asian noise er' somethin'," Still no response, "Ah son of a bitch!" He rammed his shoulder into the door, desperately trying to break it down. "This ain't funny anymore you fucken' nobjockies!" As he clashed his shoulder against the door repeatedly it eventually awoke and alarmed his sleeping companions. "Scheiße, was zum Teufel Dempshey'?!" "Dempsey, why did you have to wake poor Nikolai, eh? I was having eh… an ok dream." "What is the meaning of this?!" He continued to ram against the door frantically, "Damn asians ain't respondin' and this plane is driftin' downward!" They all shifted towards the nearest window, he was right. The plane was now about 5,000 feet out of 10 in the air, and they were descending a lot faster now. "Scheiße ve need to get zhat door open!" "I'm workin' on it doc!" "Vell vork harder or ve'll all be dead soon!" "I would if *grunt* you would help!" They each took a side next to one another and began slamming each other as hard as they could, almost leaving dents in the door. Just as bruises began to form on their shoulders, the door burst open and they fell inside. "Ah shit I spilled my vodka! Any luck with the pilots though?" Richtofen gathered himself up and approached the main pilot who was slouched against his own shoulder drooling blood. He removed his glove and pressed two cold fingers against his neck… nothing, "Zhey're dead both of them." They looked in horror at the two deceased pilots and then allowed their eyes to wander towards each other, "Anyone uh, know how to uh, fly a GOD DAMN PLANE?!"


End file.
